KatarinaVdP

Hi!

My best friend and I are driving from Melbourne to Cairns from the middle of January until the middle of March 2017. We're considering going to Uluru at the end of our trip, but seeing both flight tickets and tours are quite expensive, we're nut so sure it's worth it? We're two 19 year old girls from Norway, living on a budget, but if Uluru is as amazing as some people claim it is, we'll try to make room for it in our budget.

If you do think it's worth the money:
1) Should we fly directly to Ayers Rock, or Alice Springs?
2) How many days should we stay in the area?
3) Is it possible to experience the best of Uluru on our own, or should we book a tour? If you think we should book a tour, do you have any recommendations on where to book it (maybe a website?) and for how many days? It doesn't need to be fancy at all, we just want to see the amazing nature as well as learning about the history of the area (aboriginals, the formation of the rock etc...)

Thank you so much in advance

marg

In one word, yes! I'd suggest two or three nights in Alice Springs, then take a bus tour to Uluru. Pick one that will give you the opportunity to visit Kata Juta (the Olgas) as well. If money allows, also include two or three days visiting Kings Canyon which is really spectacular. Do the walk around the top of the canyon try to do it early in the morning.

Leave this trip until the end of your visit to Australia as it will be really hot in January, slightly cooler in March.

It will be a direct contrast to the beautiful country in Norway.

michelhuebeli

To some people, Uluru is just a great big boring piece of rock. Looks kinda cool in the middle of nowhere, but “what’s the big deal”?

Others come away feeling spiritual and that sort of thing. It means a lot to the people who were there long before Europeans arrived, and, like religion, for some people it’s hard to grasp, while others seem to tune into the specialness very easily.

But however you’re disposed to feel about such things, if you choose to go, don’t just rush in, look at the rock, and rush out. Stay in Alice Springs for a bit, get a sense of the slow pace of the “Red Center” of Australia, visit the Flying Doctors’ exhibit (http://www.rfdsalicesprings.com.au), and some of the targets you find on websites like this one: http://www.australia.com/en-us/place...e-springs.html

If you do this right, it will be worth the expense.

BigRuss

I've been twice. Fact is, if you want to go to Uluru, you need to go to Uluru, <b>not Alice Springs</b>. You cannot just take a day trip to Uluru from the Alice - the distance between them is large.

You can visit the Alice if you want as well but the two destinations are NOT next to each other - it's a nearly SIX hour drive from the Alice to Uluru, which is more than an hour longer than the fast train from Oslo to Stockholm.

All that said, the time of year for your visit is crap. It will be hot and the flies will be multitudinous. This is especially true in January and February (which is summer for the Aussies), it will still be essentially true for March. If you can handle the heat (40+ Celsius) and the dipterans, then give it a go.

Kwaussie

I agree with Russ. The centre of Australia in mid summer is not for the faint hearted!
Alice Springs and Uluru are both wonderful destinations but you can't just 'pop out to the rock'. I think a few days at Uluru is necessary to really appreciate it and to see Kata Juta as well.

Lauren87

Hi!
I went there a few years ago. From Melbourne we drove across to South Australia for Coober Pedi & then up to Alice then onto Uluru etc. It's like no other place I've ever been! The sun rise and sun set are absolutely spectacular & there's not 1 picture I've ever seen that has done it justice. You can walk around it, do tours if you wish though we did it ourselves & had the nearby resort as a base (camping).
There's really great nature reserves in Alice & reptile parks that do shows & there's Aboriginal guides to discuss how they lived, different dream time stories, food etc.
I definitely, without a doubt will be going there again BUT... I went in June, it was still 30 degrees during the day but FREEZING at night. I would never go there any other time of the year because of the heat, the flies etc.
If you're going to do it i believe it 's a trip all on it's own not something you do on a whim or squeeze in because you won't get to fully appreciate it.
I hope that helps! Good luck with your road trip & on a side note - if you haven't already done a road trip in Australia please look into the different rules & issues you may come across so you're not caught out. For eg: don't dirve at dawn or dusk due to wildlife etc.